St George’s appoints new professor to help drive forward research into heart disease prevention

Professor Kausik Ray has been appointed professor of cardiovascular disease prevention St George's, University of London.Within this post, Professor Ray will work with colleagues in the University’s Division of Clinical Sciences to help drive forward research into cardiovascular disease prevention that can be quickly adapted into practice, ultimately improving patient care. He will also teach on medical degrees at St George’s, as well as practice as a consultant cardiologist at St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

Professor Ray has 20 years of clinical experience and 10 years’ experience of research and teaching in cardiology.

His research at St George’s will focus on developing a better understanding of risk factors for acute coronary syndromes (ACS) – a range of problems that can be caused by a sudden reduction in blood flow to the heart muscle caused by a narrowing or blockage of the blood vessels. This includes angina and heart attack. He also plans to study the relevance of these factors in the ethnically diverse population of south west London. Prof Ray is particularly interested in investigating new medicines and mechanisms to prevent heart disease.

On his appointment, Prof Ray said: “I look forward to working with my new colleagues at St George’s, and helping to find new ways to fight heart disease and improve patient care. I feel that the close relationship the University has with St George’s Hospital, and the impressive clinical resources on site, will be a real asset to the research I’ll be conducting at St George’s.”

Prof Ray has undertaken significant research on the effects of statins – a group of drugs used to combat high cholesterol, heart attack and stroke. His work has informed several international guidelines for heart disease and is cited as proving evidence for specific approaches to patient care. Amongst his influential projects is the demonstration of the early benefits of intensive statin therapy over standard therapy within 30 days of an ACS event. This is cited as the best guidance approach in clinical practice within the European Society of Cardiology guidelines among others.

Throughout his research career, Prof Ray has developed strong links with the British Heart Foundation (BHF). In his early career at Sheffield University, he was awarded a BHF junior research fellowship, he was then appointed a BHF international fellow at Harvard Medical School, and most recently, the BHF funded his former post as an intermediate fellow and senior clinical research associate at the University of Cambridge.

Principal of St George’s, Professor Peter Kopelman said “Professor Ray’s skills are a most valuable addition to the current expertise in the field of cardiology research at St George’s,” and that Professor Ray would “help St George’s to develop a unique portfolio of research that translates quickly into practice for the prevention of heart disease and the enhancement of patient care.”